Cousins
by googlegravity
Summary: AU where Hiccup and Snotlout don't hate each other, and though they capture Toothless together, one is left in the dark. The story is better than this summary. DISCONTINUED.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Just a warning, this fanfic is going to have to be very unstressful (if that's a word). My last fanfic (6 months ago!) was VERY stressful, and I don't want that. So, that means: no pressure on updates, and no pressure on finishing (I'm sorry if you love it and I don't end up finishing- don't get me wrong, I want to finish, but I'm putting a lot of things in my life, like school, above this) I want this to be a fun story to write, and I hope it's a fun story to read!**

* * *

Hiccup's POV:

* * *

The dragons were attacking. Again.

How many times they've come is unsure, but that kind of information is unnecessary. All we need to know is that dragons are our enemies, and that we fight them, most commonly, with our muscles, and not our minds. Obviously, that is the reason of why, not only is the number of attacks unsure, but also why the attacks are still happening.

Don't tell my father that, or really, any other Viking. They're stubborn. Their way of fighting is the right way of fighting, in their opinion. I've tried to reason with them, but no one listens to me.

I hear an explosion nearby the blacksmith shop I'm working in. I lean out the window to see which house is the victim this time. A group of five teens rush to extinguish the flames. They leave the site together. Fishlegs, the farthest away from me is the biggest guy I know from my age bracket. It's been debated whether his size comes from muscle or fat, but it's never been confirmed on either side as he prefers not to fight. Ruffnut and Tuffnut are beside him. Ruff and Tuff are identical twins, and everyone has a hard time telling the two nuisances apart, despite their difference in gender. Astrid rolls her eyes at the two of them, who are yelling and laughing about the "coolness" of the attack. Astrid is probably the toughest girl I've ever met. And I should know too- she's attacked me more than once about not sharpening her axe correctly.

 _Speaking of which, I should be sharpening weapons right now,_ I remember. I take a load of dull swords and axes from the impatient Vikings waiting outside of the window. I turn to the sharpening wheel when I hear the voice of the final teen.

"Hey! Hiccup! Did you see that awesome throw I did?" Snotlout called, "I bet I got out the entire fire!"

I sighed. "Snotlout, I'm working," I responded without looking up.

"Aw come on! You can't make time for you poor cousin?" Snotlout asked in a dumb voice.

I gritted my teeth, walking over to the window. I handed a now-sharpened sword to a big, hairy Viking, who quickly nodded thanks before running towards a Nadder.

Snotlout swiftly grabbed my shirt before I could turn away. He leaned in close, "Did you finish making the thingy?" He whispered.

"Oh my gods, Snotlout, are you going to ask me that every time there's an attack?" I twisted away from his grip and returned to sharpening blades.

Snotlout walked to the back door. "Hey Gobber," I quickly heard him greet as he entered.

"Shouldn't ya be puttin' out fires?" Gobber grunted.

"Uhm, no?" Snotlout replied uncertainly before recovering, "No, the others can handle it." Snotlout walked over to me.

I put down the ax I was sharpening, "What happened to you putting out entire fires?" I asked him jokingly.

"What happened to you working?" He responded, mocking my voice before answering, "Nah, they can handle it. Just barely, though. I will be missed."

I rolled my eyes, handing the ax over to the next viking in line.

"But seriously," Snotlout resumed, "did you finish it?'

"Not quite, but soon," I said, pointing over to the contraption I had been working on for the last while.

"Cool," Snotlout mumbled as he ran over to the machine, "So you say it fires bolas?"

I began sharpening the next ax. I looked over my shoulder to see Snotlout messing around with the switches. "Snotlout! Don't touch it, I said I'm not done yet."

"Don't worry!" Snotlout assured me, "I'm not gonna do anything dange-"

His words were stopped when a bola came flying out of the machine, hitting the one of the customers in the head.

"Snotlout!" Gobber and I shouted simultaneously.

"I think you should leave soon, lad," Gobber informed Snotlout.

Snotlout looked at the machine, then at Gobber and me. "Okay!" He exclaimed, "Byeee!" He wheeled the machine out of the shop, cheering as he narrowly missed a flaming rock shot out by a Gronkle.

Gobber and I stared at each other for a moment. Finally, I conceded, "I'll get him," I muttered.

* * *

Snotlout's POV:

* * *

I laughed as I ran around the village with Hiccup's weird machine thingy.

The machine thing was so cool. It fired bolas, and it looked like it throws them really good, because when I accidentally shot one, it totally knocked this one dude out.

I reached a cliff at the edge of the town. I looked around, but couldn't find what I wanted: A Night Fury.

Berk had lots of dragon attacks, all mostly from the same dragons: Nadders, Terrible Terrors, Hideous Zippleback, Gronkle, and Monstrous Nightmare. But the best one was the Night Fury.

The Night Fury never misses, so I figured that since I am better than any dragon, I shouldn't be able to miss it.

I told that to Hiccup once. He said that was some pretty horrible reasoning. I told him only nerds used big words. It's pretty clear that I'm smarter than him, because he didn't get it. He called me an 'ignoramus,' whatever that is. He's such a dummy, it was like he held up a sign that said, "Im dum." He probably would've spelled it wrong too.

I heard the sharp swoop of the Night Fury's wings. I looked around and smiled when I saw the shadow of the Night Fury.

"Snotlout!" I heard Hiccup cry.

"Get away from here!" I grunted as I pushed him away. "I'm gonna catch the Night Fury!" I yelled turning back to the machine.

I started pulling different parts that stuck out, but I couldn't remember which ones I used when I hit the dude.

"Snotlout, stop! You're gonna hurt someone!" Hiccup tried to wrestle me.

"Oh? Like you?" I asked, turning the thingy to point at Hiccup's face.

Hiccup stared at me. "Are you kidding me?" He asked without raising his voice.

I shook off the fact that he didn't act angry or scared. Or both. "I'm just kidding!" I laughed, pushing the different parts.

"Snotlout, stop!" Hiccup swiped for my hand, but missed, pushing down a piece. A bola fired out of the machine, and I heard a distant screech.

"You hit it!" I cheered, but then I stopped. "Hey! YOU hit it! I was supposed to hit it!"

Hiccup looked at me really angry, "NO ONE WAS SUPPOSED TO HIT IT!" He roared.

I looked at him very surprised, "Dude."

"Don't you get it? The fighting won't stop if we don't use our heads."

"I was supposed to hit the thing with my head?" I laughed uncertainly. _He was kidding, right?_

"Oh my gods," Hiccup muttered, walking away.

"Hey! Where are you going?" I called after him.

Hiccup turned to walk backwards and face me, "To clean up your mess," He answered, turning back around.

I narrowed my eyes. "I didn't make a mess," I muttered under my breath.

I looked up, and saw a fire a couple of houses away. I sighed, and started walking towards it. I turned, and tried to walk backwards like Hiccup did. I went a few steps before I fell- no, before I attacked the ground.

I got up and looked around, and was thankful to see no one saw my brave but useless attack.

 **A/N: In case you were wondering, I purposely wrote like an idiot on Snotlout's section, so it could sound like it was actually him. So, please don't correct me on spelling and grammar for that section.**

 **Anyways, I hoped you liked it! I had a poll open a couple of months ago about what to write, and this was NOT the winning choice, but I felt like writing, so we'll see how it goes.**

 **PLEASE comment, I really want to know what you guys think, what you want me to write about, and I will try as hard as I can to make time to write more. Remember: commenting only takes a minute, but it makes me feel happy, and encouraged to write more.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Okay guys, this is a really long one. I hope you like it!**

* * *

Snotlout's POV:

* * *

"Hiccup! Wait up!" I ran across the village, trying to catch up to my stupid younger cousin.

Hiccup stopped this time when he turned to face me, which made me feel a tiny bit relieved, because he was being really showy-offy that last time.

"What, Snotlout?" Hiccup said angrily.

I stopped, trying to think about what I was going to say. "Uhm, where are you going? To go kill it?"

"Kill what?" I heard a deep voice behind me. I turned around to see my uncle.

"Hey, Stoick!" I exclaimed happily before remembering the question, "I was just seeing if Hiccup was gonna kill a dragon."

Stoick laughed, "Are ya now, son?" Stoick patted Hiccup on the back.

I crossed my arms. _Why was Hiccup getting attention? He hasn't killed the thing yet, and he hasn't EVER killed a dragon!_

Hiccup faked a laugh, "Uh, yeah, no I think I better get back to the shop."

I saw Stoick's mustache twitch, "Of course." He turned to me, "And you better get back to the fire brigade, eh lad?"

"Not until I see that Night Fury Hiccup shot down!" I replied.

Stoick stared at us both, before shaking his head. "Back to the shop," he grunted to Hiccup, before turning away.

Hiccup walked away really fast. I ran after him.

"That was weird, huh?" I asked him.

Hiccup didn't even look at me.

"Whoa, did I miss something?"

I heard Hiccup mumble something under his breath, but couldn't hear any actual words.

I pulled on his arm. "Come on! Let's go kill the Night Fury!"

Hiccup shook his arm free, "You don't get it, do you?" he asked angrily.

"W-what?" I was so confused, "Get what?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes, "Exactly." He started walking away towards the blacksmith's shop.

"No, no!" I called after him, "What is it?"

Hiccup sighed very loudly and turned to look at me.

"Do you really want to know?"

I nodded happily.

"And are you going to listen?" I started to nod, but he kept on talking, "and are you going to try to understand?"

I nodded louder. Wait- can you even do that?

"I don't think we should be killing the dragons," Hiccup said quickly.

"What?" _Why doesn't he want to kill them? They're BAD._

"It doesn't do anything," Hiccup went on, "We keep on killing them, and they keep on coming. Nothing is stopping."

"That's because we haven't killed them all yet!" I exclaimed.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "And how many more do you think we have to kill?"

 _That's a good question._ I counted it out on my fingers, AND toes. "Seventeen?"

"You can't be serious." Hiccup muttered.

"What then?" I asked, "Eighteen?"

Hiccup turned around and began walking to the shop again.

"No! No! Wait!" I called after him, realizing the answer. Hiccup didn't stop walking. "The ones at the nest!"

Hiccup kept on walking. "You think my father is ever going to find the nest, and, more than that, kill all of the dragons there?" he laughed.

I felt my eyes go wide as I nodded, thinking about how awesome that would be. "Yeah!" I replied, running to meet up with him.

"Snotlout, that's never going to happen. Everyone know that," Hiccup paused, "Except for my dad."

I stopped, but he kept on walking without me.

"It's gonna work" I called, "And I'll prove it"

Hiccup stopped right away, slowly turning on his heel. "How?" he asked.

I grinned, "I'll kill the night fury."

"Don't you dare." Hiccup muttered.

"Challenge accepted!" I whooped, running towards the forest, with Hiccup running after me.

* * *

Hiccup's POV:

* * *

"Challenge accepted!" Snotlout cried, running towards the forest.

My anger began to boil as I sprinted as fast as I could- which, admittedly, is not very fast- after him. "Snotlout!"

By the time I reached the woods, I wasn't too far behind my arrogant cousin. "Get back here, Snotlout!" I cried, trying desperately not to trip on the roots that covered my path.

"Make me," Snotlout spat, turning his head to yell at me. His foot caught on a root and he quickly slammed into the ground.

I used the chance to catch up with him, firmly placing my foot on his back so he couldn't run away.

"Get off me." Snotlout repeatedly swung at my leg, often just barely brushing it.

I stifled a laugh in order to continue being angry, "Snotlout, you're not going to kill the Night Fury, and neither am I."

"But you're wasting my chance!" Snotlout whimpered, trying to push himself up.

I thrusted him downwards, "You're not going to kill the dragon," I informed him, "and you're barely trying to get up."

Snotlout twisted in his position to grab my leg, pulling me to the ground with him. In my defense, I relieved the pressure on my foot as soon as I figured he wouldn't bolt.

"We have to kill the dragon though," Snotlout continued complaining, "It's a Night Fury, for Thor's sake."

"And that won't stop anything," I said, mocking his voice. Snotlout promptly smacked me on the top of the head, the proceeding to stand up and dust off his pants.

"Seriously though, Snotlout," I added, standing up, "You heard what I said, it won't stop anything."

"It'll stop the Night Fury attacks."

I flinched at that, knowing I couldn't deny the fact. "That's true, but really Snotlout, it doesn't do much to the grand scheme of things."

"Grand scheme, grand shleme," Snotlout grumbled, "The dragons are fighting us now, so we kill them now."

"You're just like every other viking: narrowminded and stubborn!" I fumed, "This is such a dumb cycle we're in! Get attacked, kill dragons! Get attacked, kill dragons!" I paused for a breath, "And you don't see that do you?"

Snotlout looked up from his boots, "Huh?"

"You weren't even listening," I mumbled, "See this is the problem. No one listens!"

Snotlout rolled his eyes. "You know what would make them listen?"

"What?" I spat.

Snotlout grinned. "Killing a Night Fury."

I felt my eye bug out. _Is he serious?_ I lunged at him, tackling Snotlout to the ground. He flipped me over and pinned me down. He narrowed his eyes and leaned in close. I could see he was now very mad, something I hadn't picked up on as I was ranting.

"I am going to kill the Night Fury." Snotlout seethed, shoving me harder into the ground before getting off of me and storming off.

I pushed myself up by my elbows, shocked by what had just happened. Sure, Snotlout was cocky, and a little thick as well, but he never seemed to be the angry type, or really all that patriotic to his tribe. His sudden outburst, seemingly based off of defending his people was surprising, but I will admit, I probably shouldn't have lost my temper.

I stood up again, brushing off my shirt and pants when I heard a distant whine. It was eerie how pained and un-human it sounded. Unsure of what I had heard, I stood still, listening for it again. Sure enough, the whine sounded again. My heart dropped as I considered the possibility of it being the Night Fury. _Snotlout's gonna kill it._

I dashed after my cousin, pondering if he had heard it. He seemed to not have heard it, much to my relief, but he was still furious.

"Get away from me." He muttered.

 _I need to keep him away from the dragon._ "N-no, Snotlout," I stuttered, trying to think of an excuse, "You, um, you were right."

"Of course I am," Snotlout grumbled before stopping, "Wait, I am? About what?"

"About the Night Fury," I explained, "You were right, we need to stop it."

"By killing it?" Snotlout asked, seeming surprised and cautious simultaneously.

"Yup," I faked a grin, "But we should split up, so we can cover more ground."

Snotlout looked at me strangely, as if wondering whether or not to believe me, "Okay," he responded slowly.

"You should go that way," I continued, gesturing in the direction closer to the village, and, coincidentally, opposite of where I heard the whine.

"What if I want to go the other way?" Snotlout demanded.

I searched for a response, "If the Night Fury's that way," I replied slowly, gesturing towards the village again, "There's a better chance people will get to see how awesome you are at killing the dragon." Snotlout smiled a little, "I think it fell that way anyways," I added.

Snotlout laughed, "Okay!"

He turned around, running a little as he sang, "I'm gonna be better than Hic-cup! I'm gonna be better than Hic-cup!"

I sighed quietly, before turning around and bolting in the other direction. I stumbled over some tree roots when I heard the whine again. It was definitely louder.

I ran up a hill nearby, searching for the dragon. I looked around, spotting a freshly fallen tree.

I ran down the hill, somehow managing to keep my footing, and soon reached the tree. Immediately beside it, there was a large gash in the ground, so deep, and jagged yet even, I knew it couldn't have come from a human.

I followed the trench that lead up a small hill, if you could even call it that. I peaked over, quickly ducking down in a mix of fear and surprise at what I saw.

Almost completely hidden from a boulder, I saw a glimpse of something large and impossibly black. I forced myself to sneak another peak at the creature.

My suspicions were correct: I was looking at a Night Fury, wrapped in rope that had to have been from the bola I accidentally shot.

I scrambled over the mound of earth I had hid behind and scurried to the boulder. I cautiously leaned across the side of the rock, looking again at the dragon.

My breathing became manual as I considered what to do. If I left it alone, there would be the chance that someone else would kill it, and I didn't enjoy the idea of it starving to death. I felt the imprint of the knife I kept inside my vest. _Could I really kill it?_ I remembered the fact I couldn't deny: Killing the Night Fury would stop the Night Fury. Forever.

I walked around the boulder and saw the Night Fury wasn't even moving. I couldn't tell if I was relieved or sad that the dragon was already dead.

I heard Snotlout's words in my head, reminding me that people would listen to me if I killed the Night Fury. I pulled out my knife. _If it's already dead…_

I raised my knife up, above my head, ready to swing. _But it goes against what I'm trying to prove._ I felt my arms go weak, and lowered them to rest on my head. _No one listens to me._

The Night Fury's eyes shot open, startling me. I stumbled backwards into the boulder. The dragon looked at me, and, seeing my knife, lowered it's head, as if it was giving up.

 _They would listen to me,_ I thought, holding the knife back up again. The dragon whimpered quietly. I felt my breaths become ragged. I dropped my stance, staring at my knife. _I can't._

I looked back at the Night Fury and the ropes wrapped around it. _I shouldn't_ , I thought before leaning down on my knees. I set the knife to one of the ropes. _They'll never forgive me._

I cut through the first rope. _They'll never know._ I quickly glanced over my shoulder, cutting the rest of the ropes. The Night Fury opened it's wings, shaking the ropes off. It lunged towards me, backing me into the boulder. I tried to lean back further, as if attempting to bend the rock. The dragon opened it's jaws. I screwed my eyes shut, trying to move my arms that were pinned under me to cover my face.

The dragon screamed. Seriously, screamed. I would be kidding myself to classify it as a roar. This sound was too high pitched, too angry, too pained to call it anything else. It ran away quickly after the terrifying noise. I got up, my ears ringing, unable to hear anything else. I felt myself go faint, but I forced myself to stay up, leaning on the boulder for support.

Snotlout would be here soon.

* * *

 **AN: I hope you guys liked it! I wanna know, too! PLEASE comment. It will only take a minute, but I'll feel encouraged to write more. Also, I want to know what you guys think about the POVs! Should I write more from the POV of one of two? Do you want more jokes from Snotlout? I want this to be a story that everyone likes, and I like writing what YOU want!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I'm back with another chapter! I'll try and make the updates quicker, but I don't want my writing to be rushed, so we'll see, I guess.**

* * *

Snotlout's POV:

* * *

The scariest thing just happened. At least, I think it did. Probably. I heard this big, loud, bad, bad, BAD roar from a dragon. Maybe even a scream. But it was so scary.

I think it was the Night Fury. I don't know why the Night Fury would be screaming all of a sudden, though. _Unless…_ I actually gasped when I started thinking what I was thinking. _Unless Hiccup found it. And then he'll have killed it._ I shook my head. _NO! I'm gonna kill it! I'm gonna be better! I'm gonna show them that I should be the chief, not Hiccup._

"Snotlout!"

I screamed a little at my name. I turned around. "Hiccup!" I called, running over to him, "did you hear that too?"

Hiccup opened his mouth, but waited a second before saying something. "Even better- or worse- I saw it!"

I felt my eyes go big. "Saw what?"

Hiccup looked over his shoulder. "It was the Night Fury," he breathed loudly.

"No!" I yelled, "No! You did NOT kill it!" _Now I'll NEVER be chief!_

Hiccup shook his head. "I didn't get the chance. I was about twenty feet away when it just burst out of it's ropes."

I gasped. I didn't know if I was happy or mad. Because I should be happy that Hiccup didn't kill it. But I also should be mad because now the Night Fury is free. This is like the worst would you rather game ever, because I can't choose what I like better, either having Hiccup kill the dragon, or have it be alive. "Wait- how far is twenty feet?"

Hiccup looked around. "Wait here," He muttered before jogging to a tree a little ways away. "About from me to you."

I gasped, but I was angry this time. _I wish it was dead, even because of Hiccup._ "Why didn't you do something?"

"I couldn't, Snotlout!" Hiccup replied, "It was too far aw-"

Hiccup couldn't even finish because I had come running at him, and I tackled him. "Yes, you could! See? I just tackled you from that far away."

Hiccup shoved me off of him, "No, Snotlout. I actually couldn't."

"Oh," I mumbled and then I smiled, "Right you're not fast. Or strong."

Hiccup slapped me, "Shut up."

I grinned, "Oooh, Hiccup's jealous," I laughed. _I AM faster, stronger, AND better than him. That's good enough. They'll see it at some point._

"Snotlout, I'm not jealous," Hiccup said, getting up.

"Are you saying you're better than me?" I asked, brushing off my pants, "Are you saying we should race?"

"No, I just said that I'm not jea-"

"Ready, set, GO!" I yelled quickly, running away as fast as I could.

I heard Hiccup call after me. "Eat my dust, Hiccup!" I hooted back at him.

"Look out!" I heard him reply.

"For what?" I turned my head while running to hear him better.

He didn't reply in time.

Next thing I knew, I was staring up at the sky.

"Snotlout, are you okay?" Hiccup's voice was wobbly.

I got up, "I'm fine!" I called. I felt a tree leaning on me. "When did you get here?" I asked the tree.

"Okay, Snotlout, let's go." Hiccup's voice was everywhere. I felt arms go behind my back, pushing me forward.

"I can walk by myself, mom," I mumbled, feeling roots dancing over my toes, "Stop," I whispered to them.

"Come on," Hiccup said. I wanted to look over at him, and tell him to bug off, but things were turning black. I didn't know it was nighttime already.

"I wanna go to bed," I whispered, yawning.

"Yep," Hiccup's voice was really quiet now. I wanted to tell him to be louder, but it was becoming night a lot faster. We didn't even get home before it was all black.

* * *

Hiccup's POV:

* * *

I looked up at the dimly lit roof. It was probably about midnight now, but I still couldn't fall asleep.

I went over everything that had happened today, it amazed me how far away the dragon attack that had happened early this morning felt.

I forced myself to ignore what had happened in the forest today. No one got hurt, no one was there, no one knew, and most importantly, no one would believe me. I don't ever have to think about it, or think about how dumb I was, or think about how terrible of a viking I am. No need to think about it, and no one would ever remind me of it. The only person who was remotely present isn't even thinking straight.

And heavy. They're also very heavy. But he will be getting better. That's what Gothi said anyways. It was just a hit to the head, which is certainly not something unusual in this tribe filled with, well, Hooligans. I still worry, but I console myself with the fact that their surely can't be a way for Snotlout to get more stupid.

Coming home, I expected not to be noticed, which was something I really was wanting more than ever today. Sure, the earlier events of the day were unimportant, and not known by anyone other than me, but I still felt like people would definitely NEVER know if I could just stay away from the eyes of others.

But of course, wanting to be unnoticed had jinxed me. Not even seconds before I entered my house, I was spotted by my father.

"Hiccup," he had muttered in his usual gruff voice, "we need to talk."

I had felt so jittery, "Yeah, I think we do too."

I took a deep breath. "I don't want to fight dragons." I said quickly. My father had spoken at the same time. I felt myself go cold at what I thought I heard him say.

"You go first," I offered, unsure if he said what I thought he had said.

"You get your wish," He explained, "Dragon training. Tomorrow."

My breathing stopped. _Aaand, he just said what I thought he said._ "Oh, man," I stuttered, "I should have gone first. I was just about to say that we have a surplus of dragon-fighting Vikings, but do we have enough," I paused, trying to think of some kind of honorable job, but coming short, "bread making vikings? Or small home repair vikings?"

My dad ignored me, "You'll need this," he declared, giving me an axe.

 _Are you kidding me?_ "No, dad, I don't want to fight dragons." I implored.

"Aw, come on! Of course you do!"

 _Where did you ever get that idea from?_ "Rephrase: Dad, I can't fight dragons."

Stoick frowned, "But you will."

 _No!_ I screamed inside of my head, _that won't stop anything!_ "No, I'm really, VERY extra sure that I will NOT kill dragons."

"It's time, Hiccup."

 _What in Thor's name is that supposed to mean?_ "Can you not hear me?" I felt like I was shouting. I probably even was.

"This is serious son!" He snapped, shoving the axe into me. I let it droop a little, but he refused to let that happen.

"When you carry this axe," he continued, "you carry all of us with you. That means you walk like us, talk like us, you think like us. No more of," Stoick paused, "this," he finished gesturing to all of me. Whether that was intentional or not, I took offence, and took the liberty of pointing it out, not that he cared.

"Deal?"

It took every fiber of my being to keep from rolling my eyes at him. "This conversation is feeling very one-sided right now," I complained flatly.

"Deal?" I had never seen my father so mixed with emotion, and none of the good ones. Anger. Disappointment. Frustration. Sad, even.

"Deal," I croaked.

"Good. Train hard. I'll be back. Probably," Stoick said, apparently unable to use sentences exceeding two words in length.

"And I'll be here. Maybe."

I sat up in my bed, groaning loudly, something I definitely wouldn't do if my father was home, but of course he always has to go on his stupid expeditions to find the nest. I think that many people have come to terms with the hopelessness of success, but he definitely is stubborn.

I walked around, trying to clear my head. I went down the stairs, quickly seeing the axe I had left there. I picked it up, unable to see most of it's features in the faint light of the dying fire.

My dad's words rang through my head, "You walk like us, you talk like us, you think like us. No more of this." My eyes fluttered shut, and I held the axe higher, above my head. Images of the Night Fury flashed into my head. "No," I yelped. I opened my eyes, quickly looking around to see if anyone could've heard that. I was comforted after remembering my father was not home.

My heart sunk as I remembered his words, "I'll be back. Probably." Suddenly, I realized exactly how dangerous these missions could be. I always knew that his life was filled with "occupational hazards," but the sudden realization of how hazardous his expeditions were. Of course, my father was strong, but he also was stubborn. Running away, even if it's the smartest thing to do wasn't in his book of fighting tactics.

I looked back at the axe in my arms. The thought of my father never coming home nagged at my mind. _I would have to be the chief. I'd have to be like him._ I groaned, knowing full-well that people wouldn't listen to me, not even if I was chief. I remembered Snotlout's words from much earlier today. _But maybe if I had killed the Night Fury._ I heard the soft croon of the dragon as it gave up, though I knew it was only from my imagination. "No, I'm not one of them." I went to set down the axe. "No more of, this." Stoick's words filled my mind, slowly forming into the scream of the Night Fury.

I felt my eyes sting with tears, and I knew, that if I had to become chief, I would have to be exactly like everyone else. I would have to kill dragons. I would have to end the attacks in the most stupid and stubborn, the most viking way possible.

I suddenly felt hollow inside.

I'd have to turn myself into a heartless murderer.

The sight of the Night Fury giving up ran through my mind, continually looping, and coming back with no signs of stopping. Everything felt like it was spinning. _How could I kill a dragon in an attack if I couldn't even kill a dragon that had given up?_

I backed into a wall, slowly sliding downwards into a sitting position. _I'm such a failure._ A sob escaped my lips. _Nothing will ever change that._

The axe hung awkwardly in my arms, reminding me of it's presence. "You walk like us, you talk like us, you think like us," Stoick's words rang again, mixing with the submissive croons of the Night Fury. I stared at the axe, taking in everything that it meant. _I am a viking. I am fearless. I am brave. I will kill-_ I couldn't allow myself to think the next thought anymore. Frustrated with my confusion, I threw the axe away from me, though it only travelled a few feet.

I walked back up the stairs, and sat on the edge of the bed. I screwed my eyes tightly shut, but I couldn't stop seeing the Night Fury. I took a deep breath before saying aloud, "I, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, heir to Stoick the Vast, oh hear his name and tremble (ugh, ugh) solemnly swear to," I paused. What was more important? To be a viking, or to be the change?

I groaned. To be a normal viking seemed so easy, though I would never be able to pretend it was true. But people don't listen to me now, and I don't think they ever will. How could I be the change with no one behind me?

I thought back to the Night Fury's croons, and soon, the cries of other dying dragons from the attacks joined.

 _I cannot, and will not ever kill a dragon._

I felt a single tear fall from my eye, "I solemnly swear to be the change that both the Hairy Hooligans and the dragons need."

I felt a weight lift from me, but simultaneously, a new weight, and this one much heavier, fell upon me.

I sat back down onto my bed, and prayed to the gods that my father would return safely, and that the change I promised to bring would not come until I was much more prepared.

* * *

 **AN: So, how did you guys like it? I really tried hard to portray Hiccup's internal conflict in a way that stayed true to his character. How well did I do?**

 **Also, how are you guys liking the POV swaps? I know that I haven't written from Snotlout's POV a lot this chapter, but I hope to write from him more in some of the chapter coming up.**

 **Please comment guys! I want to know how I'm doing and how you guys like the story so far! I'm happy to hear any of your guys' suggestions for the story! Commenting only takes a minute, but it helps me feel inspired to write, and to write faster!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I'm just going to apologize in advance for this chapter- it's rushed, and not some of my best work. But who knows? Maybe you'll like it better than I do.**

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Snotlout's POV:

* * *

The metal gates to the dragon arena opened. I stepped in trying not to look as excited as I was. _I'm gonna kill dragons!_ I started smiling really widely, _Maybe I can show how awesome I'll be at dragon killing! They'll HAVE to make me chief!_

"I hope I get some serious burns," I heard Tuffnut say. I nodded, thinking about how cool that would be.

"I'm hoping for some mauling," Ruffnut said after, "like, on my shoulder, or lower back." _That would be even cooler!_

"Yeah, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it." Astrid said. _Man, Astrid would look so awesome with a scar!_ I grinned, _Even better than she looks now!_

I open my mouth to say that when all of a sudden, I hear a voice.

"Yeah, no kidding, right?" _Hiccup!_ I turn around and see my cousin. "Pain. Love it."

"Wha- why are you here?" I asked quickly, "I thought you weren't gonna come!"

Hiccup made his eyes roll around. It was sort of creepy. "I thought so too, but my dad changed his mind."

I looked down, really confused. _Why wasn't he happy to come?_

"But why are you here?" Hiccup asked back, "I thought you were unconscious." Then I remembered why he wasn't happy. Hiccup doesn't like killing dragons. _Weird._

"Ha!" I spat, "Y'know what my father says. Rest is for the weak!"

"Let's get started!" I heard Gobber call, "The recruit who does best will win the honor of killing his first dragon in front of the entire village."

"Hiccup already killed a Night Fury," Tuffnut blurted, "Does that disqualify him, or?"

I looked at my cousin. "You killed a Night Fury?" I asked, "When?"

Hiccup's face went weird, "No- what? Snotlout you were-" Hiccup looked at me really funnily. _What in Thor's name is going on?_

"Can I transfer to the class with the cool vikings?" Ruffnut asked. Part of me wanted to turn around and tell her that a cool viking was right here- me, but another part of me was still confused about the Night Fury. _When would Hiccup've killed one?_ I stopped. _When did Hiccup WANT to kill one?_

Gobber walked beside Hiccup, muttering something to him. I felt my cheeks go red. _If Gobber is giving Hiccup hints, then he can-_ Gobber pushed Hiccup into me, and I fell into Fishlegs. I blinked hard. _What was I thinking about?_

Gobber walked in front of us, "Behind these doors are just a few of the many species you will learn to fight." I felt Fishlegs start to jump around. I frowned, and tried to step away but hit Hiccup. _Why does everyone have to be so close to me?_ I grinned, _they want to pick up on my awesomeness._ Then I frowned, looking quickly over at each of them, _you don't get any awesomeness!_ I yelled in my head.

"The Deadly Nadder," Gobber boomed. Fishlegs started whispering numbers. "The Hideous Zippleback." More numbers. "The Monstrous Nightmare." More. Freaking. Numbers. "The Terrible Terror." I clenched my fists when Fishlegs whispered even more numbers. "Will you stop that?" Gobber yelled. Fishlegs looked sad. I forced myself not to laugh. I shook my head, which started to hurt a little.

Gobber took a deep breath before saying, "The Gronkle." I heard Fishlegs mutter another number. I reached for his collar and was about to clobber him when I noticed Gobber's hand on a sticky outie thing, which was VERY close to a door with growling sounds behind it.

"Wait!" I yelled, "Aren't you going to teach us first?"

Gobber smiled. "I believe in learning on the job."

My eyes went big and I shoved Fishlegs away, and I ran in the other way.

"Today is about survival," I heard Gobber's loud voice, "If you get blasted, you're dead. Quick, what's the first thing you're going to need?"

"A doctor?" I heard Hiccup guess.

"Plus five speed?" Fishlegs asked. I had to keep myself from beating him up after that number.

"A shield." Astrid said. I smiled, thinking about her.

"Shields. Go," Gobber called. I ran and picked up the closest shield I could see. "Your most important piece of equipment is your shield. If you must make a choice between a sword or a shield, take the shield."

I groaned quietly. _You can't kill things with a shield._

I look over and see that Hiccup can't pick up his shield. I laugh inside of my head. _I'm definitely going to be chief._ I hear the twins fighting over a shield. Then, the Gronkle fires at them.

"Tuffnut, Ruffnut, you're out." Gobber says, but he doesn't seem to excited. Or shocked. _Am I better than everyone?_ I laugh. _Obviously._

"Those shields are good for another thing." Gobber keeps on talking, "Noise. Make lots of it to throw off a dragon's aim."

We all start hitting our shields to make noise. The Gronkle shakes it's head, and I try to stop myself from doing that too. _This is throwing off MY aim!_ I growled about that, my head hurting more with each _clang_ from the shields. _No! I'm better than the dragons!_

"All dragons have a limited number of shots," Gobber says, "how many does a Gronkle have?"

 _How am I supposed to know that?_ I look down at my fingers. "Five?"

"No, six!" Fishlegs yells. _Again with the numbers!_

"Correct, six! That's one for each of you!" Gobber exclaims. _What in Thor's name is that supposed to mean?_

Fishlegs got shot by the Gronkle. _Oh._

I run over to Astrid. I hear Gobber yelling at Hiccup but I don't try to listen. "Hey," I called, "So anyway, I'm moving into my parent's basement. You should come by sometime to work out! You look like you work out!" I smile, imagining Astrid coming over.

Something hits my shield. Something HOT.

"Snotlout, you're done!" Gobber yells. _What? I'm out?_ I grumble madly as I walk over to the edge of the arena. I hear Hiccup talking to Astrid. _No! He does NOT get to talk to her!_ I look back at him. _Wait! Why is he still in it?_

Astrid rolls away from him, and I smile. But then I see the Gronkle fire, and hit the shield out of his hands. I start laughing, but see that the Gronkle is chasing after him.

"Hiccup!" Gobber yells. He sounds worried. I realize that I'm a little worried too. The Gronkle keeps on going, and Hiccup walks into a wall. _Oh no._ I see the Gronkle open up it's mouth to fire. I squeeze my eyes shut and hear Gobber grunting.

Confused, I open my eyes. Gobber throws the dragon back into it's cage, calling it a sausage. "Remember, a dragon will always," he looks right at Hiccup, "always go for the kill."

Hiccup looks up, but I don't think he gets it. I run up to him and punch him in the arm.

"Ow!" He cries.

"You almost got killed!" I yelled at him, trying not to pay attention to the little knives that are stabbing my head. I looked over my shoulder and saw everyone walking out of the arena. I looked over at a hole in the wall where the Gronkle fired. I pushed Hiccup towards the exit, half-hugging him. "But what was Tuffnut saying about the Night Fury?"

Hiccup stopped walking and looked at me. "You don't remember, do you?"

I stared at him. "Remember what?"

Hiccup opened his mouth but closed it again. Then he said, "Nothing, just, during the last raid, you were messing around with this machine that I made to fire bolas. You said it hit a Night Fury, and I took the blame."

Hiccup looked down. "That happened?" I asked, "Why don't I remember that?"

Hiccup looked back at me. His cheeks were sort of pink. "You went to go find it and ran into a tree. I guess you hit your head a little too hard."

My head pounded, and the knives kept on stabbing, agreeing with Hiccup. "Oh. Huh."

Hiccup looked around. "So," he said, "I should go." He turned around and ran away. I turned too, but for some reason I was slower. I growled, and walked out of the arena, making myself go fast.

* * *

Hiccup's POV:

* * *

I ran into the forest. After I was pretty deep in, I looked over my shoulder to see if anyone was near me. When all I found was trees, I started dancing a little. _No one knows about what happened!_ I ran deeper into the woods, climbed a small hill, and whooped. Things were going MUCH better than I had ever expected!

I clambered down the hill and saw a trench. My heart sunk into my stomach. That was THE trench. I ran through it, and peeked up the ridge at the end. Part of me was overjoyed to see the Night Fury wasn't there, but another part of me was too curious about the dragon to be happy.

I ran towards the bolas, picking one up and remembered the dark dragon, screaming at me. _A dragon will always go for the kill._ Gobber's words ran around my head. I looked in the direction that the Night Fury had left yesterday. "So, why didn't you?" I thought aloud, simultaneously wondering how I would be able to find out.

I put the bola down, and walked in the direction of the Night Fury. It wasn't too long before I saw a cove. I stopped for a moment, taking in the beauty. The cove had high stone walls, and in the middle of it all, a gorgeous lake. Some birds flew in the corner of my eye, bringing me back to reality.

I looked around for the Night Fury, but couldn't find it. "Well this was stupid," I muttered. Did I really think I would find it? Just to see why it didn't kill me? What would I even do? Ask it?

Suddenly, a dark figure blasted by, struggling to climb up the stony walls. Unable to grip the rocks, it falls downwards. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. _The Night Fury?_

I climb to the edge of the rock I'm on, trying to get a better view. The dragon tries to climb up again, furiously flapping it's wings to try and get some extra air, but falls again. I scramble for my notebook and begin to draw the Night Fury.

The dragon tries to climb again, but still fails. "Why don't you fly away?" I murmur. Then I see it. Half of the dragon's tail is missing. I rub at the tail in my drawing. _Is it supposed to only have one?_ I wonder curiously. I hear three 'tinks' and realize I had dropped my charcoal.

The Night Fury quickly looks up at me, staring straight into my eyes. I stare back, surprised and delighted that it didn't seem angry, only… I searched for a good word. It seemed curious. I smiled, and the Night Fury shook its head, walking away from my view.

I got up and walked towards the village, unable to break my grin. For the first time since I let the dragon go, I felt completely sure of my actions.

* * *

 **AN: Please comment, especially if there's something you think I can improve on!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hey guys! Sorry this took so long! I really wanted to have this out a LONG time ago, but I've been super busy with my school play, and I was having TERRIBLE writers block. So, yeah…**

 **I did say that I wasn't going to focus on deadlines, but I still feel really bad. Sorry guys!**

 **Also: I got an Instagram account! If you have ig, you can follow me at googlegravityfanfics**

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Snotlout's POV:

* * *

I opened my eyes and got up. I looked around and saw my bed. _Wait- why am I in bed?_ I stood up and walked towards the door. I turned my head to look at it sideways-ish. _When did it get to be so big?_ I turned my head back to look at it normally. _Almost as big as the door in the Great Hall._

"Hey!" I called out. I looked around to see if anyone was around. I saw I was in my house. _Right._ I shook my head. It started to feel like it was pounding. _Why does my head still hurt?_

I opened the door. "Because I have to go to the Great Hall," I slowly said to myself. The room started to feel like it was spinning, "The Great Hall," I repeated.

The sun was really bright. Like, SUPER bright. My head started to feel really hurt, and I blocked the sun with my arms. I knew I was walking after that, and that it was hard to, since everything was spinning, but it was so weird, because I don't actually remember doing it. I just was.

I saw the doors to the Great Hall, and then the weird feeling stopped. "Woah," I whispered. _Those doors are REALLY big. WAY bigger than the ones at my house._

I felt for the door, but stopped. I turned around, trying to look at my house. _Which one is my house again?_ I saw the sky wasn't so bright. The sun was leaving.

I growled as I opened the big doors. _I hope it never comes back._

* * *

Hiccup's POV:

* * *

The sky began to dim, but I knew I was still too far away from the village to make it to the dinner on time. I stopped for a moment to look back towards the cove, trying to catch a glimpse of the Night Fury. Even though it was hidden from my sight, I grinned. Seeing that dragon again made being late worth it.

The light became dimmer yet, as if reminding me to keep going. As I walked along, I silently mapped the route I took. I already knew that I wanted to come back. I was still confused though, about why we're always scared of the Night Fury. I knew that, yes, it destroyed our watch towers, but it never took any food. Also, seeing it just now, it didn't seem all that angry or evil. It was just curious. _Like me._ I frowned at my thought. _But being curious isn't something people like about me._ I stopped in my tracks. _Could that-_ I stopped the thought as well, laughing quietly at my momentary ingnorance. _No, that's not why people don't like the Night Fury._

I felt a raindrop fall on my shoulder. I looked up and saw the sky had become filled with storm clouds. Rain began to fall rapidly, soaking me in an instance, following suit of all of Berk's terrible weather. _Oh for Thor's sake._ Lightning struck in the distance. I sighed. _Literally._

* * *

Snotlout's POV:

* * *

I sat down at a table, and held my head in my hands. It REALLY hurted now. I heard the door open and close, really loudly. I turned towards the bad noise, ready to yell at them for making such a racket, but stopped when I saw it was _her._

Astrid.

My head stopped hurting for a second when I got up to greet her. She must have magic abilities.

"Hey babe," I called, walking towards her, "Funny meeting you here," I slipped my arm around her shoulder.

Astrid stared at me with a mean look. She grabbed my arm and pushed it away from her, "You know Gobber said we have to be here."

 _She's just playing hard to get._ "Yeah, but you came here really quickly." I kissed the muscles on my arms, "Bet you didn't want to miss out on all this."

Astrid looked at my face, then my arms, then back at my face again. I opened my mouth to ask her if she likes what she sees, but she said something first.

"Miss out on what, Snotlout?"

 _What?_ I looked at myself. _Does she not see me?_ Then I smiled. _Right. She's still playing hard to get. That's what she's always done for the last three years._

"Come on, babe," I continued, "You can stop playing pretend. Just admit it, you love this."

Astrid's cheeks went big. "I just threw up in my mouth," she said quietly.

I was about to console her, since she was obviously sick- she WAS almost puking, and she didn't seem like me. But the door swung open first, louder than Astrid had. It hit the wall with a loud bang, making me jump, and my head hurt like crazy.

"Hey!" I yelled, but it made my head hurt even more, "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to slam doors?" My voice was really quiet all of a sudden.

I saw Fishlegs move backwards a bit. _Why can everyone do that so well?_

"S-sorry, Snotlout," Fishlegs said, repeating the first word a bit. He always did that when we were younger. What a loser.

I stomped towards him. I was going to pound him SO hard. But every step I took hurt my head again. _But the head isn't connected to the foot._ I looked down at myself. _Yeah, it's not._

"Snotlout, are you okay?" Fishlegs' voice seemed to go all over the place. The room started to spin again.

I squeezed my eyes shut, "Yeah."

The door opened again. "Woah," I heard Tuffnut's loud voice, "What happened to him?"

I sat down at a table, "Nothing," I muttered. I looked up at Tuffnut and saw two of him. _What in Thor's name?_

"Are you sure?" The other Tuffnut said. The voice was higher, and little more… rough. _Ruffnut?_ I laughed. _There isn't two Tuffnuts! There's twins!_

* * *

Hiccup's POV:

* * *

I finally reached the Great Hall, but not before every inch of my being was completely drenched. I ran up the steps and hurried through the door. All of the other recruits were seated at a table, eating their dinners while Gobber talked about the training that day.

I stopped at the doorway, not wanting to be heard as I listened to their conversation. Gobber was asking where Astrid had messed up in the arena, which received an honest, though confusing response about tumbling from Astrid, and a sarcastic remark from Ruffnut, but no compliment from Snotlout.

I frowned, leaning forward to see if he was there. The door moved slowly with me, producing a loud squeak. Everyone looked towards me, much to my disappointment.

"Where did Hiccup go wrong?" Gobber's voice filled the room, disappointing me even further.

I walked towards the table, drowning out the insults the twins hurled out. I tried to find a seat, but the teens closed in the space between them. I groaned internally and sat down at the next table.

"He's never where he should be." Astrid's voice was like ice.

"Than you, Astrid," Gobber said. I looked over at Snotlout. His head was down, and he was picking at his food. His face was contorted into knots. _Why is he-_

"The dragon manual," Gobber continued, dropping a large book onto the table. I couldn't help but notice Snotlout twitch at the noise. "Everything we know about every dragon we know of."

Thunder sounded in the distance, from the storm that was still going on outside. Snotlout looked like he wanted to die.

"No attacks tonight. Better study up."

Tuffnut looked shocked by that. "Wait, you mean read?"

Ruffnut was equally shocked, "While we're still alive?"

Snotlout finally looked up. He didn't look too good- his face was pale, and his eyes still showed a pained expression, though the rest of his face seemed to force an annoyed look. "Why read words when you can just kill the stuff the words tell you stuff about?" His voice was strained, and quieter than it normally was. _He doesn't sound too good either._

Fishlegs didn't seem to notice as he began to rattle off facts about the dragons he had read about, receiving some stares of aggravation and disbelief from Snotlout and the Twins.

"There was a chance we were going to read that, but now?" Tuffnut asked.

"You read," Ruffnut said, "I'll go kill stuff." The twins stood up and left the Hall, arguing about who was the better killer. Fishlegs seemed determined to get them interested in the book though, so he ran after them, spouting off facts about various dragons.

Snotlout laid his head down on the table, and pushed his food away.

"Is he okay?" I asked, turning to Astrid.

"I dunno," Astrid responded slowly, "But it is an improvement." She walked towards the door.

"Oh. Okay. So, I'll see you-" I stuttered. The door slammed. "Tomorrow." I sighed.

"You're such a loser." Snotlout muttered.

"What?" I asked, sliding into the seat across from him.

"You're." Snotlout looked up. "A." He leaned forward and grabbed my shoulders. "Loser."

I rolled my eyes, "Thank you, Snotlout, really. Why am I a loser this time?"

Snotlout laughed weakly. "You think Astrid likes you?"

I poked him in the chest, "You think Astrid likes _you?_ "

He swatted my hand away, "Of course she does."

I looked over at the book of dragons, suddenly remembering the Night Fury. _Maybe this will have some information on him?_

"Hey Snotlout, do you wanna look at this?" I asked quietly, flipping through the pages.

Thunder sounded again, making him cringe. He looked warily at the door. "It can't be that bad, right?"

I raised my eyebrows. Snotlout never usually took an interest in literature. "If it was bad, it wouldn't be the only book my father actually respects," I joked. Snotlout smiled a little, walking around the table to sit beside me, but stumbled, and bumped into the corner.

"Dumb tables," he mumbled, "Why do they make the corners hurt so much?"

I stifled a laugh, shaking my head. I flipped to the first page. "Dragon classifications," I read aloud, "Strike class, fear class, mystery class."

Snotlout scoffed, "What does this have to do with killing dragons?"

I turned to him and stared him in the eyes, "Everything," I whispered seriously. His eyes went wide, as if he was scared. I laughed, "Probably not a lot. But shut up." Snotlout smacked me on the head, but I flipped the page and kept on reading.

"Thunderdrum. This reclusive dra-"

"Numbers!" Snotlout screeched, before quickly grabbing at his head.

 _What in Thor's name?_ "What the heck, Snotlout?" I barked.

Snotlout angrily pointed at the bottom of the page, where the size and speed was written. "Numbers," he seethed, "are the worst. I'm leaving."

He got up and stormed out, bumping into a few tables.

I couldn't help but notice his odd behavior, and his clumsiness. _Maybe I should take him to Gothi again._

I looked back at the book. I flipped through the pages, taking in the different dragon names, and frowning at the, "extremely dangerous, kill on sight," written on all of the pages. _All of the dragons._

I finally flipped to a blank page labeled, "Night Fury."

"Speed unknown.

"Size unknown.

"The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself.

"Never engage this dragon. Your only chance, hide and pray it does not find you."

 _That's it?_ I screamed inside my head. I felt for the notebook I had in my pocket, which was, surprisingly, only a little damp. I flipped to the picture I had drawn of the Night Fury earlier today. I dropped it on top of the book so that it covered the blank space. The longer I stared at it, the bigger the pit in my stomach seemed to grow as the realization began to consume me.

I knew more about the Night Fury than anyone else.

I frantically flipped through the book of dragons. "No," I yelled out loud. _There HAS to be more about it!_ My thoughts began whirling through my head and I lost any control over it.

 _Never engage that dragon? That ship has sailed!_

 _Am I going to die?_

 _If it wanted to kill me, why aren't I dead? It had the chance!_

 _Why doesn't anyone else know anything?_

 _If it didn't even kill me, why is it dangerous?_

 _No one will be able to answer my questions!_

Exasperated, I thumped my head down on the table. I sighed tiredly and picked up my notebook. I walked to the door, and stood there for a moment, looking back at the book. "Someone has to know," I said, as if telling the book it was wrong, "I'll find them."

* * *

 **AN: So, guys, how did you like it? How were the POV swaps. It felt natural for there to be more, but I dunno…**

 **And what do you guys think about Snotlout and his head injury? Please comment though, I love hearing from you.**

 **Don't forget to follow me on Instagram! googlegravityfanfics**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: When it literally takes you 2 months to write a chapter… Super sorry about that, by the way.**

 **But anyways, here is my next chapter! I hope you enjoyed it after this long wait!**

Snotlout's POV:

I walked towards the kill ring the next morning for training. My head still hurt. Felt like hammers were pounding my skull. Not very fun. The sun was too bright. The birds were too loud. The arena felt like it was farther away.

 _Man, this sucks._

Then, I saw the arena, and I started feeling better. _I'm gonna show everyone how awesome I am. The dragon'll shake in fear when it sees me._ I laughed, and for a second, my head didn't hurt.

I went down the little hill to the ring- _was it always this steep?_ \- I kept one hand on the wall so I wouldn't fall. The dragon wouldn't fear me if it saw me sitting there, all weak, _which I'm not._

The arena looked different, I think. There were all these walls up everywhere, and I couldn't tell where I was supposed to go. _These weren't here before, right?_ My head hurt more as I thought. _Yeah, I think so._ I looked around and gasped when I saw even more walls. _Am I even in the right place?_

"Snotlout!" I heard someone call. Loudly.

I turned around, seeing Hiccup. "What?" I barked, making my head hurt more. _Does everything make my head hurt?_

Hiccup's eyebrows went down and together, but he shook his head, "Have you seen Gobber?"

 _Have I?_ I thought back to what I did this morning- woke up, got dressed, ate, and went here. "I don't think so?" _Right?_

Hiccup didn't look happy. "Okay," he said back quietly, "Thanks anyways." Hiccup walked away, behind one of the walls.

 _Had I seen Gobber?_ I ran after Hiccup, but couldn't find him. I frowned, and tried to go back the way I came. _Did I go left, or right? Or straight?_ I groaned, and guessed. Suddenly, I was facing a stone wall. _How…?_ I looked back. _I don't remember going this way._ The hammers on my skull pounded even harder.

And then I heard a loud- and I mean _loud_ \- screech.

Hiccup's POV:

I ran through the maze, trying to find the edge of the arena, which was probably where Gobber was. I saw him standing in the higher spectator area with a bored expression on his face. "Gobber!" I called, making some random turns, and popping out directly below him, "Hey!"

Gobber glanced at something behind me, which I was praying was one of the other trainees, and not today's dragon, "What, Hiccup?"

I tried to quickly catch my breath, "You know, I just happened to notice the book had nothing on Night Furies. Is there another book? Or a sequel? Maybe a little Night Fury pamphlet?"

Gobber couldn't even answer before my axe was burned by a sudden jet of dragon-fire, the head instantly being melted. I looked at the hilt in disbelief, _so it_ was _a dragon behind me,_ I thought, somewhat hysterically.

I ran in the opposite direction of the Nadder, the only dragon with fire hot enough to destroy an axe that quickly. _The axe._ I gulped (which is very difficult to do when you're running for your life, with an angry dragon chasing you, and an even-angrier mentor screaming at you to "pay attention") _Dad's going to kill me!_

I shook my head, momentarily agreed with Gobber- I need to focus. But while Gobber was probably wanting me to attack the Deadly Nadder, I was simply hoping the opposite wouldn't happen.

I took a left turn, then a right, and heard Gobber yelling at us. "Today is all about attack!" I internally groaned, knowing survival, yesterday's objective, was the best I could hope for. And I probably won't even achieve that. "Nadders are quick, and light on their feet. Your job is to be quicker, and lighter."

I snorted, _like that's possible._ Deadly Nadders were known for their stealth, only rivaled by more exotic dragons, like Changewings, that Berk rarely encountered. Even the thought of a Viking, in training, no less, trying to top that was ludicrous.

Fishlegs seems to agree with me, voicing that he's questioning Gobber's 'teaching methods.' That earned another snort from me- Gobber didn't have methods for teaching, he just threw stuff at us and hoped for the best. It was the same when I began to apprentice for him when I was little. _Well, little-r._ I thought back to my first day, he had simply chucked a sword at me, and told me to sharpen it. I had stumbled over at the impact, and could barely hold it up.

I snapped out of my thoughts by Gobber's booming voice, "Every dragon has a blind spot. Find it, hide in it, and strike!" Shortly following his words, I hear the twins bickering. The Nadder squawks, and I finally realize that it's not following me anymore. I quickly trek the path back towards Gobber.

"Blind spot? Yes. Deaf spot? Not so much." Gobber is now directly above me. I see the other trainees running away, and I question whether or not I should follow them, but I remember that I need answers about the Night Fury. _Maybe if I could go near it?_

"Hey, so how would one sneak up on a Night Fury?"

Gobber's response is short, "None one's ever met one and lived to tell the tale. Now get in there!"

His reply takes me back slightly- the man has taught me everything I know about blacksmithing. Yes, a lot of it came by experience, but he's always answered my questions, and given me more thought than anyone else had. But I try to shake it off, and I press on.

"I know, but hypothetically…"

Gobber looks annoyed, and opens his mouth, but his answer, whatever it may be, is cut off.

"Hiccup." Astrid's whisper is like ice- sharp and clear. 'Get down,' she mouths, gesturing along with it.

 _Gods, she's so beautiful._ I comply, crouching down beside…

…them? I now realize Snotlout is there as well. And he saw my momentary space out. I'm about to curse myself silently, when I hear the now all-too-familiar squawk, and it. Sounds. Close.

Astrid gestures for us to follow her. She crouches, and jumps low, landing into a perfect somersault, using her shield to propel herself forward, and spinning gracefully. Snotlout follows. He falls into his somersault, rather than jumping, and just barely makes it back to his feet, stumbling a little once finishing the move. I take in a deep breath, and dive forward. My shield hit the ground, and I rolled over it.

But then I stopped.

I sat straight up, and looked over.

And there was the Nadder.

 _Great odin's ghost- this is it!_

I bolted upwards, sprinting down the maze with the dragon close behind, and I _screamed_ , hoping for someone, _anyone_ , to come help.

Snotlout's POV:

Hiccup screamed. Like, seriously, _screamed._ A little part of me was shocked, because if there was one thing you could say about Hiccup, it was that he wasn't good at anything. But screaming, apparently, is something he's good at.

It was sooo loud. The hammering on my head felt like it broke my skull, and started hitting… whatever's inside there. _What_ is _in there?_ I shake my head, making it hurt a little more, but I didn't really care.

I see the Nadder land right in front of me and Astrid. Astrid raises her axe to attack it, and I remember Hiccup looking at her a couple seconds ago. And him telling me I didn't have shot with her. _No! Hiccup can't be the one she likes!_

I push myself in front of her, to protect her from the dragon, "Watch out, babe. I'll take care of this." I go to throw my bludgeon, and at the same time, I step into the super-bright, making-me-go-blind-and-also-making-tons-of-tiny-hammers-pound-my-head-and-tiny-knives-stab-it-too, light. I squeeze my eyes shut, which doesn't make the pain go away, and throw the bludgeon.

I missed.

"The sun was in my eyes, Astrid!" I shout, hoping she'll believe me, "What do you want me to do, block out the sun? I can do that, but I don't have time right now!" I run after her, but I don't want to open my eyes, and I bump into a wall.

Hiccup's POV:

I bolted and _screamed._ After running for a couple more seconds, I risk turning around to see if it's still following me, and, quite luckily, it's not. I pause for a second, gasping for breath, before running back to Gobber. I still didn't have any answers, besides it being drilled further into my head that I should be dead right now.

Finally, I reach him. "Gobber!" I call out, getting his attention. "You still didn't answer me! Hypothetically speaking, how would one sneak up on a Night Fury?" Gobber gives me a glare, trying to communicate that he doesn't want to talk about this anymore, but still, I push it, "They probably take the daytime off. You know, like a cat. Has anyone ever seen one napping?"

Snotlout's POV:

I finally got myself to open my eyes. I didn't know what made my head and eyes hurt more- the sun blasting the brightest light ever, or seeing Astrid on top of Hiccup.

I shook my head. _This can't be happening. No!_ I turned and ran, but there was a wall right there. I banged into it, making the pounding and the stabbing in my head even worse. My legs stopped working, and I fell down hard on my butt. The sun kept on being bright, and I started seeing black stuff here and there.

I looked around to see what the black stuff was, and it started growing, and soon it was all I saw.

Hiccup's POV:

"Has anyone seen one napping?"

"Hiccup!" I hear Astrid scream. I turn towards her voice and see walls, tumbling down, and hitting the next, quickly knocking over the wall she was on top of. She falls onto me, her axe plunging, thankfully, into my shield, and not anywhere actually on me.

"Ooh," Tuffnut mocks from across the arena, "love on the battlefield." My eyes widen and my cheeks flush as I realize that, for Thor's sake, _Astrid is laying on top of me._

Astrid turns her head, and, probably seeing the Nadder, begins to frantically try and pull her axe out of my shield.

"She could do better," Ruffnut mutters in response to her brother.

I shake off the obvious insult, and try to offer Astrid some assistance with her axe. "Just- let me- why don't you-" Astrid completely ignored any efforts I made to help, whipping her head around to see the Nadder, which, by the sounds it was making, was coming closer. She planted her foot on my shield, and tried pulling it out, to no avail. She shifted her foot, trying to gain more leverage, and I suppose you could say she did, as she managed to pull the shield off of my arm. Unfortunately, her foot ended up on my face, and I can't say that was an enjoyable moment. Turning around, the Nadder was quite close to her. She swung her axe, still planted in the shield, hitting the dragon in the face, splintering the wood, and causing the Nadder to back off.

She turned to me, anger radiating off of her. Gobber faintly compliments her, but she shows no signs of acknowledgement. "Is this some kind of a joke to you?" I'm about to reply to her, informing her that, believe it or not, I _am_ trying my best. My best just doesn't happen to be too impressive. But, she continues her rant, "Our parents' war is about to become ours. Figure out which side you're on."

I'm struck by her words. Part of me is offended, knowing that if I had never met the Night Fury, I would be boiling in rage that she thinks I would be on the dragon's side, just for messing up. I always felt that killing the dragons wasn't the way to win the war, but I would never have sided with them.

Even now, having seen the Night Fury, and knowing that it's not evil, but rather, a curious creature, just like me, I still wouldn't go so far as to leave my tribe and to side with the dragons. My Viking upbringing reminds me that the dragons do fight back, and have killed many people before, and to join them might risk my own life.

But her question- no, demand- still resonates. Which side am I on? I truly don't agree with either. The dragons shouldn't be stealing all of our food, and the Vikings shouldn't allow killing to be their first instinct.

I had always known in the back of my mind that you had to choose one side or another, but now, having this bit of information rubbed in my face makes me realize that I had never truly chosen.

Snotlout's POV:

The blackness went away, and I saw the arena was completely destroyed. "Cool," I said quietly, looking around.

None of the other teens were in the arena, except for Hiccup. I remembered Astrid laying on top of him. _Jerk,_ I made an angry face, stomping out of the arena to show Hiccup how mad I was, even though my head hurt like crazy.

Hiccup's POV:

I watched as everyone left the arena, leaving a sullen cloud to hang over me. I walked around, stepping carefully over the fallen walls, and tracing the new scorch marks on the stone walls. Thoughts bombarded me in the heavy silence- of the lack of information I gained about the Night Fury, of Astrid's words that gave me a bit of a personality crisis, and of the sheer amount of times I've almost died in these last few days. I walked over to the scorched dent in the wall from yesterday, where the Gronkle almost ended me. I tried to take deep breaths to calm myself as feelings of hopelessness washed over me, but my inner emotions soon won out, and I let it out with a loud scream. I pounded the wall, hurting my fist, and turned to slide down the wall, my legs giving out.

I sighed. _The gods really do hate me. They made me shoot down a dragon that I never wanted shot down. They actually allowed me to find it, causing me to make a dumb decision. They get me put in this stupid training, where I can't do anything right. And they don't even allow me to find answers about the Night Fury._

I frowned. _I have to take matters into my own hands._ I stood up, brushing my pants off, and began to walk towards the exit. _I can't go back in time, and there's no way I'll ever be good at training, but for Thor's sake, I'm going to find answers about this Night Fury, even if it kills me._ I reached the exit and turned back to face the arena. _That is, if I don't die here first._

 **AN: So, what did you guys think? I used more POV swaps than usual (I don't know how to feel about that)…**

 **Guys, get excited for the next chapter (which will hopefully be written fatser…): Hiccup's going back to see Toothless, AKA the cutest part of the entire movie.**

 **But anyways, please comment and follow me on Instagram! googlegravityfanfics**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Wow, I'm actually alive? And writing things? Even I find this shocking. But don't you worry, I have my reasons (read: excuses)! I'm gonna list them off, and sound really whiny and annoying, so you can just skip to the chapter. If not, well then here we go: I had terrible writers block, had to study for exams, applied for jobs, got hired, started working, and I also had this one day where I couldn't think of the right word, and I couldn't think about anything else, and so I couldn't write. Heh heh.**

 **Anyways, here's the next chapter, picking up where we left off with Hiccup after the second day of training.**

I ran out of the arena faster than I ever had before. I knew myself – I could only hold a reckless idea for so long, even if it would turn out for the best, and I had to hurry to find the Night Fury, and the answers that came with it before the adrenaline wore off. I quickly reached the harbour and snatched a fish before carrying on. Hopefully, the dragon would prefer the fish, and wouldn't eat me _immediately._

As I began to reach my house, and the forest behind, doubts started crawling into my mind. _What am I even expecting to find? And what will I do with what I find, whatever it may be? Is it really worth getting killed for?_ I glanced back and forth between my house the forest further on. My lungs began to burn, and I slowed my pace. My run turned into a jog, a walk, and finally, a complete stop, just steps away from my house.

I looked towards the forest again, remembering the Night Fury's curious eyes. I couldn't shake the thought that the dragon seemed like an _innocent creature._ I was still unsure of what caused it to shoot down our buildings, and cause such mass destruction. I didn't know why any of the dragons did any of the things it did. And I still had the tiny voice in my head nagging me, saying that these creatures, none of them, deserved death. But I didn't know _why._

Perhaps the Night Fury would reveal something. _Anything._ And I was desperate for that reassurance. But there was another voice inside begging me to stay out of it, to not get myself killed, to just suck it up, and to become a decent Viking, choose the easy way out. My words from only two days ago rang through my head. "I solemnly swear to be the change that both the Hairy Hooligans and the dragons need." I realized that I also had to be the change _I_ needed.

I ran into my house, quickly grabbing a shield from inside, and slid out the back door. I ran into the forest, and didn't slow until I saw the cove.

I stopped, trying desperately to catch my breath. Once I could properly breath again, I stepped forward, raising my shield instinctively.

I moved towards the stone entrance, and slowly peered over my shield. I lifted up the fish, and gingerly threw it inside the cove. I looked inside.

No dragon.

I moved forward, to fully enter the cove, but was stopped abruptly. The stone walls had converged to a width smaller than that of my shield, and, to put it simply, it was stuck. I tried to push the shield out to no avail. I internally groaned, and ducked under it. I tried to pull it out, which worked about as well as the pushing had. I sighed, only slightly concerned about my lack of defense.

I leaned forward and picked up the fish. I moved around, trying to find the dragon. _Where was it?_ I took a few more steps before the sound of a large pair of wings opening, and an unnerving chuffing noise pierced the silence I had before been oblivious to, and stopped me dead in my tracks. I turned slowly, greeted by the Night Fury perched on a rock formation, ready to pounce.

The dragon slowly descended from it's place, never taking it's eyes off of me. It seemed to sniff the air, catching the scent of the fish, and its pupils dilated slightly.

I held out the fish, extending my arm to it's fullest. The Night Fury prowled towards me. Its eyes dilated even more, and it opened its jaws to receive the fish, but then it shrunk back, and begun to growl.

I tried to contain my fear as I realized what the dragon had noticed. I pulled my vest out of the way, displaying the short dagger I had in my belt. The Night Fury glared at me, and I cautiously moved my hands towards the knife. The second I touched it, the dragon snarled again. I jumped back in a mixture of surprise and fear.

This was about the moment I truly realized that I might actually die trying to find answers from this Night Fury, and it will probably end up amounting to nothing. I really thought I had found something when the dragon looked at me curiously yesterday, but I started thinking I was wrong. The Night Fury had only shown me aggression today. The name 'unholy offspring of lightning and _death_ itself was starting to make sense.

This dragon could very well kill me. Right here. Right now.

And all because of that stupid knife.

That stupid, _stupid_ knife I had used to save the dragon that might very well kill me.

I picked it carefully out of my pocket, and dropped it at an arms length away. The dragon motioned with its head to throw it out further. Without breaking eye contact, I flicked it onto the top of my boot, and kicked it into the lake.

The dragon immediately lost its ferocity, and sat up like a dog. _Maybe it won't kill me…_ I held out the fish to it. The Night Fury squinted quizzically and cautiously approached me. The dragon opened its mouth to receive the fish and…

…it didn't have any teeth?

"Huh," I muttered, "Toothless. I could've sworn you had-" I was the interrupted by the sudden emergence of the dragon's teeth. The Night Fury quickly gobbled up the fish.

"Teeth."

The dragon's eyes returned to slits. It sniffed my waist, and pressed forward, warbling curiously as I desperately retreated. I internally muttered some profanities.

"Uh, no. No, no," I protested as it backed me into a boulder, "I don't have any more." The dragon's eyes rolled back, and it began to heave. _What in Thor's name_ , I thought, thoroughly creeped out. The heaving ended, and half an eaten fish rolled from the Night Fury's mouth onto my lap. I groaned in disgust. It sat back, staring at me expectantly. I stared back uncomfortably for a moment. The dragon seemed unfazed, continuing to stare at me with that same expression.

I shifted my gaze, hoping to easy the _awkward-ity._ The dragon gestured at the fish still sitting in my lap. I stared at the fish and then back at him in disbelief. _No. No, no, no._ I sighed. _The unholy offspring of lighting and death itself wants to share a slimy fish with me?_ I caved in, and took a repulsive bite of the raw, slimy, saliva covered fish.

The dragon continued to gaze at me, cocking its head, as if he were asking me, "Did you like it?" I reluctantly grunted some 'mmm's, answering the Night Fury that, _yes, of course I liked it_. The dragon responded by giving a very pronounced swallow.

In that moment, I gave up any chance of salvaging some dignity. I knew my only options were to swallow the vile mess that was this fish, or die. To be honest, the latter was seeming more enticing by the second.

I sighed, and swallowed the goop. Before it had even reached my stomach, it raced back up my throat. I forced it back down again, and trust me, it was worse then. I shivered, partly from the disgusting feeling from my mouth to my stomach, and partly for the extreme lack of dignity I had left in me.

The Night Fury licked his lips in satisfaction, seemingly completely oblivious to the attack he just made on my taste buds. But I had to admit, this dragon was starting to grow on me. I smiled at him, hoping he would take it as a sign of peace. He seemed confused at first, but then…

...he started mimicking me?

I was completely amazed. The dragon had just copied my smile, and judging by how awkward it looked, it wasn't something dragons usually do.

He seemed so… different. I had only seen the Night Fury a few times, but he didn't "go for the kill" like Gobber said a dragon always would. He seemed so curious, and so was I. My want to find answers only increased from this encounter.

I reached out my hand to touch the dragon, I couldn't stop myself. The dragon growled, and flew away, but it only made me more curious. Why would the dragon share food with me, but not let me touch him?

The Night Fury blazed the ground around him in a half circle, and settles himself down on the marking. I sat down beside it, not even fully knowing what I was doing. A bird sounded, getting his attention, and his eyes soon fell on me. I gave him a curt wave, unsure of how he would respond. Extremely annoyed, he faced away from me, and wrapped his wings and tail around himself. My eyes quickly met his missing tailfin – or rather, where it was supposed to be. I shuffled closer, and reached out to meet his leathery skin. The Night Fury didn't appear to happy about that, as he immediately raised his tail out of my reach, giving me a look that definitely said 'go away.'

I quickly obliged. I shuffled off, and the Night Fury slouched away. I looked back at the black dragon. I suppose I had crossed a line, or it was too much in too little time, but I was still so curious. I sat down against the rock wall, resting for a while. I didn't know exactly what I wanted, but I wasn't leaving without it.

 **AN: So, how was it? I didn't get it edited by anyone by anyone except myself (which really is not a good idea) so this is probably full of typos. I was also in a bit of a rush to get it out, because I will be without my computer for about a week and a half to two weeks. I feel like that would make the time before updates a *little* too long. That's also why the chapter ends in a weird place. I still will write the rest of the Forbidden Friendship scene, just not in this chapter.**

 **Also, fun fact: Sunday is my one-year anniversary of being on this website, and of writing fanfiction. Was I dumb to post my first attempt right away?**

 **Anyways, how did you like it? Please comment! I might not see it for a while, but I still love reading them! And remember to check out my Instagram: googlegravityfanfics**


	8. Authors Note

Author's Note:

Hey guys. I'm sorry to say this, but I am discontinuing Cousins for now.

Whenever I would write, I never really enjoyed what I was doing. The story felt bland to me, and I realized that it was one I wouldn't want to read, much less write.

I really do enjoy writing fanfiction, and I'm going to post more in the future. In fact, I will write more of this story. Or, to be precise, I'm going to write it again.

The rewrite will be pretty similar, but it's going to include more of my own ideas, less of it will match up with the movie, and generally, it will be better. I don't know how long it will be before I post the first chapter of this rewrite; I'm planning it all very thoroughly so I can produce the best fanfic I can. I'll keep this story up until I finish the new story.

I want to thank all the people who read Cousins, and How to Train your Dragon – Astrid's POV. You've all been great, and I wouldn't still be writing fanfiction if it weren't for all the wonderful feedback I've received.

I understand if you don't want me to stop writing for now, I don't want to either, but I wasn't happy writing this story this way, and I wouldn't enjoy writing more.

Thank you for understanding,

Googlegravity

PS I'll try to post some updates on how things are going with the rewrite on my Instagram, googlegravityfanfics


	9. Defiance in Spite Of

Hey guys!

This is my final Author's Note to be posted on _Cousins._ Basically, all I want to say is that _Defiance in Spite Of,_ the rewrite of _Cousins_ has been put up. The prologue is short, but don't worry, the rest of the chapters will be a good, substantial size. I'm already writing the first chapter.

I also want to thank all the people who read and supported this fic. It started as a spur of the moment, and the updates were irregular, but I still had lots of people, and a few people who faithfully followed, favourited, and commented. That support, even when I don't feel like the work is honestly my best is what encourages me to continue to write, and I am so thankful for you guys. Really.

I would love it if you read _DiSO_ , (and followed and favourited and commented, but that may be asking for a little much) but really, you guys have already given me more support than I could've asked.

So really, thanks!

PS: I'll only be keeping _Cousins_ up until _DiSO_ is completed, so take that to mean whatever you want.


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